Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Velvet Shoes / Elinor Wylie

        
Velvet Shoes

Let us walk in the white snow
      In a soundless space;
With footsteps quiet and slow,
     At a tranquil pace,
     Under veils of white lace.

I shall go shod in silk,
     And you in wool,
White as white cow's milk,
     More beautiful
     Than the breast of a gull.

We shall walk through the still town
     In a windless peace;
We shall step upon white down,
     Upon silver fleece,
     Upon softer than these.

We shall walk in velvet shoes:
     Wherever we go
Silence will fall like dews
     On white silence below.
     We shall walk in the snow.

~~
Elinor Wylie (1885-1928)
from Nets to Catch the Wind, 1921

[Poem is in the public domain in Canada, the United States, and the European Union]

Elinor Wylie biography

"Velvet Shoes" sung by a children's choir. Courtesy Karen Bock..

1 comment:

  1. Cathleen Harvea GuthrieJanuary 6, 2024 at 3:54 AM

    I'm visiting kinda late George, almost 3 A.M. my bedtime. I begin here and time flies away with me. So much to do and not enough time, but I got a few things accomplished.

    I would like to achieve such lineation/indentation. I must study this. Ends with we shall walk in the snow. Several lovely examples of white things. White is stunning really. Stands out against any color. I saw my first Junco and was astonished by the brilliant clean white of its breast! Thank you for sharing, lovely poem! 💟💟💟💟💟💟

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